Hanoi , July 31: Vietnam, facing a second wave of coronavirus infections, recorded the first-ever death due to the disease in the nation. A 70-year-old man infected with COVID-19 succumbed to death earlier today, the state-owned media reported. The fatality toll is feared to rise as a number of other senior citizens are also hospitalised.

The nation, located in Southeast Asia, was the only major country with a significantly high population to record no deaths due to the pandemic so far. Over the past week, however, Vietnam has been recorded a recurring spree of infections. India's COVID-19 Tally Crosses 16-Lakh Mark With Highest Single-Day Spike of 55,079 Cases And 779 Deaths in Past 24 Hours.

On Friday, the state media reported a spike of 45 new cases, the highest so far. The countrywide tally of infections stood at 509 by the time the latest reports had emerged.

Update by AFP

Across the world, the number of coronavirus infections is accelerating at the highest pace ever since the pandemic broke out. More than 8.5 million cases were recorded in the last six weeks, with the overall tally surpassing 17 million.

The United States continues to remain the worst-affected with more than 4.5 million cases. Out of the global death toll of over 670,000 the country accounts for more than 154,000 deaths. Brazil and India, with 2.6 and 1.6 million cases, follow the US as the second and third-worst affected countries.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 31, 2020 02:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).